Educational Science

Why is the 'T-zone' on your face so oily?

The forehead, nose and chin, collectively known as the T-zone, are notorious for being much oilier than the rest of the face. While this shine can be blotted away, excess grease can drive skin problems, including clogged pores and acne breakouts. But why is the T-zone so oily? The skin...

27 weirdest things on Google Earth

There are many, many weird things seen on Google Earth. The service, which was launched in 2005, compiles images from various sources, from satellites in geosynchronous orbit that snap low-resolution photos from tens of thousands of miles above Earth, to satellites closer to Earth that capture higher-resolution shots, and even...

Striking NASA images capture the birth of Indonesia's new jungle city on Borneo as the country looks to move its sinking capital. The satellite shots from April 2022 and February 2024 show a network of new roads on the landscape and the construction of buildings in eastern Kalimantan, where Indonesia...

Equinox: Definition, facts & when the next equinox begins

The March equinox is almost upon us, with spring about to begin in the Northern Hemisphere, and fall commencing in the Southern Hemisphere. Equinoxes occur twice a year, with daylight and darkness being about the same length in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. This phenomenon's name comes from the...

Oldest evidence of earthquakes found in strange jumble of 3.3 billion-year-old rocks from Africa

Scientists have found signs of some of the earliest known earthquakes in 3.3 billion-year-old rocks. The rocks provide early evidence of plate tectonics, which explains Earth's crust as split into large plates that glide across the mantle. The rocks also point to what conditions may have been like when life...

Thawing Arctic permafrost could release radioactive, cancer-causing radon

Thawing permafrost in the Arctic could release radon, a radioactive gas that has the potential to cause cancer, scientists have warned. The permafrost that keeps the ground frozen year-round in the Arctic acts like a cap that prevents a variety of gases from bubbling up into the atmosphere. The most...

A perfect storm of factors is causing major East Coast cities to sink. What are they, and can we do anything about it?

The idea of our major cities gradually sinking into the earth sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie. But research shows that some of the most densely populated urban areas in the United States, like New York City and Miami, are descending into the ground at an alarming...

'You cannot put people into arbitrary boxes': Psychologists critique the '5 love languages'

The now-famous love languages were first introduced in a book penned by Gary Chapman, a Baptist pastor and self-named marriage counselor. His book The 5 Love Languages (Northfield Publishing, 1992) skyrocketed in popularity, with its various editions selling around 20 million copies and landing a New York Times bestseller title....

Major 'magnetic anomaly' discovered deep below New Zealand's Lake Rotorua

New maps have revealed a hidden hydrothermal system beneath a legendary lake in New Zealand, which serves as the setting for a famous Māori love story. Lake Rotorua sits at the heart of a massive ancient crater of a dormant volcano on New Zealand's North Island. The lake has a...

'Imagine a lush tropical island slipping beneath the waves': Drowned island the size of Iceland found off Brazil

In 2018, Brazilian and British scientists were exploring the seafloor around a volcanic plateau known as the Rio Grande Rise when they spotted rocks that looked like they belonged on dry land. Watching video relayed from their remotely operated submersible 650 meters (2,100 feet) below the surface, unusual red clay...